Ban brought Elaine and Jericho away from the battle, doing what he did best. Running.

He hated himself for it. You and just disappeared, and he was afraid he had left you there, but he couldn't go on anymore. He was fatigued, barely functioning, and depleted completed of Magic's energy. He was a liability at this point. All he could do was use the remaining adrenaline he had pumping viciously in his veins to save these two girls. Get them as far away from danger as he could.

He grimaced as he landed on the floor, skidding to a halt a few hundred miles from the demons. He painted heavily, sweat pouring from every gland as Jericho fell. Elaine was still passed out- very concerning. However, he couldn't react. Stopping for even a moment had calmed his body, and he collapsed, grunting as he tried not to hurt the fairy below him.

"Shit..." he mumbled, "I can't even move a fucking finger..."

He moved his gaze, blinking slowly with drooping, exhausted eyes. He saw Jericho rising from the floor. The last things that passed through his mind were hope that Jericho could help them out of here and... thoughts of where you were.

"Jesus..." Jericho grumbled, standing up and brushing herself off.

That was quite the spectacle. Very confusing- and she most certainly didn't understand any of it. She just sort of went into prima mode. "Away from bad-bad spot, go to good-good spot." You know. Primal things.

"Hey, you guys okay?" She asked as she turned around, looking over herself too look for any injuries. No major ones.

Looking up, her eyes widened, and her heart began pumping in her ears. Ban was collapsed on top of Elaine. "H-hey! Ban! Ban, get up!

"Oh, shit... oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! This is the opposite of what we need right now!" She said, panicked as she looked at the two of them. "Those freakshows are closing in... god, what do I do?"

"Take Elaine..." Ban grunted, barely conscious, "I'm immortal- save her..."

"What? No way in hell are you that immortal!" She growled, glaring down at him. "And I'm sure she would tell me to do the exact opposite."

"I don't care!" He exerted, inhaling shakily. "Just take her... please..."

"How selfish can you be?!" She demanded, then rolled her shoulders and piped her knees. She grunted in exertion as she bent down, lifting both of them onto her back. Ban faded fully into unconsciousness as she did so. She gasped when she released them onto herself, stumbling slightly before panting- she was already exhausted. She took a shaky step forward, then another, and then another. Soon she got into the rhythm.

"You guys... owe me big time for this!" She wheezed, moving away from the Commandments as fast as she could.

Below her, in a dimension known as the "In-Between" you followed. Well, it was known as something fancy, but you didn't care much for remembering it, so you just called it the In-Between. It was a cloaking dimension between the demon and mortal realms that hides magical presences. It takes a lot of magical energy to maintain a presence in it, so most didn't use it. However, with the overwhelming amount of ability surging from your being, you didn't even come close to breaking a sweat.

You listened to Jericho fondly, but you weren't in your right mind. When the demon within someone gets fully awoken, it... changes them. They become more confident and calm- more ominous. A demon in every sense of the word, fittingly.

This one is useful, you thought to yourself. Her perseverance and loyalty impressed you- not many would commit to their friends so self-sacrificially. She will come in handy as an ally.

Jericho continued to trudge forward, huffing as she moved. It felt as if every step was agony- like she had been walking for days, when in reality it had been... maybe an hour? Galland was awaiting the return of his full strength. Just as hers was running out, his replenished.

"No way..." she huffed ferociously between each phrase, focusing in front of her as sweat poured form her every pore. "Am I... going down here... I'll... I'll protect you guy- umph!"

She collapsed, her legs giving out. She barely caught herself, panting as saliva and sweat dripped onto the rock below her. They had wandered into some sort of mountainous valley- probably no civilization or human activity for a while. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Elaine gasped quietly from atop Jericho's back. Her gaze farted to the fairy, worried. "You okay back there?"

"I'm so sorry..." sobbed the girl, "I said such horrible things about you and (y/n)... I don't know what came over me... I was just so convinced that... other than Ban, of course... there were no good humans. Ha, and here you are- saving me after I tried to kill you..."

"What're you goin' on about?" Jericho panted, "I'm definitely not a good hu..."

Her voice trailed off, as she felt a presence surging toward her. She turned her head, but it was too late. A large, perfectly circular boulder was surging toward her. She screamed, going flying with the the immortal and the fairy still on her back. She landed, skidding across the floor.

The thrill and adrenaline that came with being attacked suddenly surged through her. She hoisted the two of them up again, beginning to run away from the spot it had crashed.

Assholes! She thought, They were toying with us! I actually thought we had gotten away...

"Fuck it! Just go, stupid legs!" She growled, moving faster. Another boulder surged past them and she chuckled, thinking it had missed. It actuality, it stopped and began rolling backward, straight for her. Her eyes widened.

She couldn't get out of the way in time with Ban and Elaine on her back. So, she did what any rational human would do. She chucked the two of them off of her back and unsheathed her sword, just before it struck her head on. Elaine's eyes widened, and she reached out weakly toward the woman.

However, the boulder shattered, and Jericho stay standing. Bleeding from concerning places, sure! Tattered armor, of course! But she was still standing.

"Don't underestimate a Holy Knight apprentice... asshole," she said, huffing.

One of her eyes stay closed due to an injury, gashes and throbbing piercings covered her upper body, where it had hit her. She was bleeding a concerning amount from the head, but she still sheathed her sword and stumbled to Ban and Elaine.

"Let's go," She wheezed, reaching down and hoisting them onto her back once again, swaying dangerously.

"No, just leave us!" Elaine pleaded, "They're coming for us, just go! Please! Run away!"

"Yeah, I'll do that..." she grinned lopsidedly as she slowly moved forward. "Just with you two... on my back..."

"No, please..." the fairy cried, choking on her gasps.

"If you're gonna give up that easily," Jericho started, beginning to move a bit faster. The pain seemed to be numbing, "it just makes me want to keep going! I can't give up- not here..!"

Hm... you are just full of selflessness, Ms. Jericho. It's a lovely trait, you thought happily. Then glanced backward, raising an eyebrow, then rolling your eyes.

"... thank you..." Elaine mumbled, sighing as she tried her best to muster up any strength she had. She couldn't.

Another boulder can surging toward them. Jericho braces for impact, but instead she started shooting forward, the weight taken off of her feet for a moment. Below her, a pillow of fire carried her forward, setting her down softly in front of a large crack in a mountain.

"(Y/N)...!" She whispered, then beamed, laughing joyously. "You're a saint!"

She moved quickly, entering the area as quickly as she could. She stopped upon entering. She say various liquors decorating walls, along with tables covering the large area. Punched into the wall was an obnoxiously large axe, and in the bar in front of it, there was a small, ginger man. He wore specs and was bingo a glass. He stared uncomfortably at them.

"Oh, my goodness..." he said, his voice soft. "You startled me. W-welcome to my bar, My Sweet Gluttony!"

"A... a bar...? In a cave..?" Jericho asked, walking forward unsteadily.

"Yes... I don't get very much business, unfortunately. I do get the occasional lost traveler or wondering merchant, though!" He said. His voice was quiet- he seemed weak. Vulnerable and unreliable allies aren't valuable.

"I-I'm sorry, but... we're injured," she said, stumbling slightly. "Can we stay here for a minute?"

Jericho collapsed, dropping Ban and Elaine as she coughed, blood dripping from her lips as she did so. The man squealed, hurrying out form behind the bar.

"Little lady!" He exclaimed, "My, you are hurt...! And you... eek!"

He looked over at Ban, scrambling backward and pressing his back against the bar. "Ban! No, you're here to capture me too, aren't you! S-stay back, Holy Knight!"

"The charges were dropped... the Sins are free..." Jericho mumbled, pushing herself upward with a table as a crutch.

"What...? Free...?" He repeated before his eyes lit up. He darted over to Ban. "Free! What about Merlin?! Is she okay?"

"Yeah... everyone else too... you're the only one we had left to find," Ban grinned in response, then winced in pain.

"All do respect... but we got some pursuers. Do you have anywhere we can hide?"

Good girl, you thought happily, you're smart too.

"O-oh, of course!" He said, "I'll assist you."

He held Ban up while Jericho helped Elaine, making their way over to a large vault in the back of the bar. He said it was storage- full of bottles of ale and some money. They all made their way inside, plopping down and letting out a breath of relief.

Outside, he closed the door. Just as he did so, behind him he heard an ominous, "There you are~"

He shrieked in horror, pressing himself against the vault. "Y-you aren't human!"

"They aren't here?" Galland, the male Commandment asked, before sniffing the air. He thunked toward the counter, where the man had shrunk down to the floor. "Hmm... I definitely smell it..!"

He swung his arm, and the man screamed, but stopped once he found that he had not been attacked. He risked opening an eye, finding that the demon had grabbed a large bucket of ale, downing it in one swig.

"So good! I can't believe alcohol had come this far in 3,000 years!" He exclaimed, gesturing toward the female, who had an dark, ominous ring surrounding her. "Try some! We should just stretch our wings and relax~"

She glared at him hesitantly, but seconds later she was exclaiming as well- "So goody I can't believe clock had come this far in 3,000 years!"

"That's what I said!" Galland replied giddily to his partner, Melascula.

"It's so yummy!" She squealed, "I used to have humans at the bottom of my clan rankings, but they've shot to the top in one go!"

"Th-the ale you're drinking is a favorite... of practically everyone," The man chuckled nervously, "Especially the ladies! It's B-Bernia Ale... known for its richness, sweetness, and poignant apple taste."

"Mhm!" Melascula hummed in agreement, swaying happily, "I could drink this all day!"

"You sure know a lot about alcohol, even for an bar master," Galland speculated, eyeing the man.

"You pass!!" Melascula shouted, swooping backward and doing a flip as she hovered, still drinking. "When we annihilate the human race, I'll let you liveee~!"

"Th-thank yo..." he started, but trailed off. "Wait, what?! Annihilate humankind?!"

"Yup! All of humankind will die by the hand of the Demon King's ultimate force, the Ten Commandments!!" Galland exclaimed, and all the color drained form the man's face.

"T-ten Commandments...?"

"Mhm~" Melascula hummed, then a sudden, ominous aura coated the two of them, thickening the room's atmosphere exponentially. He trembled, "And that immortal and human girl were our next meal.

"Don't try to play dumb, old man, we know they're in that storage vault behind you," she continued, and he glanced behind himself, antsy. Jericho held her breath from behind the vault, listening o every word alongside Ban and Elaine. "They're all on their last breaths. Killing them will be easy."

"But I'm in a good mood after that ale!" Galland butted in, "Its time for... the Galland Game!!!"

"G-game, you say..?"

"Mhm!" He exclaimed, "If you beat me, I'll spare you and those three behind you!"

I'm not much of a fighter right now... the man thought, but I'm good at dice and cards. I'm confident..!

"The rules are simple," the demon grinned, "It's a one-on-one fight to the death! Whoever kills the other wins!"

"Oh god."

"I'll let you start, since you're a human." Galland hummed confidently, "You can tag out with one of them, if you wish, but I wouldn't. Now, go ahead! Hit me!"

An ominous grin illuminated the realm below them, unbeknownst to any above.

"Wh-What if I refuse to play..?"

"Then you all die by default," the demon grinned, "now pick. Instant or prolonged death?"

"I-I'll do it..." the bar master agreed, trembling as he spoke.

"Wonderful!" Galland exclaimed, slapping the man on the back. He collapsed forward smashing into the floor and going still. "Oh..."

"Did you kill him?" Asked Melascula, staring down at him.

They both sat there for a few hours, drinking all of the alcohol available to them and enjoying themselves. They talked about extermination and other various things, beginning to get bored with ten situation.

"Oh, that's my queue!"

A sudden flash of bright, fiery light blazed from the front cave. Sunlight creep above the horizon line, darkening the figure that appeared in front of the entrance to the bar. They were dark, entirely a silhouette.

Stepping into visible view, appeared a female figure. (H/C) hair flowing behind her as she walked, deep purple eyes glinting in the light, nearly black demon markings decorating her body, a fashionable set of a cloak and boots, accompanied by a wicked smile.

"Tag me, Escy," she said, extending her hand down as she walked past the man. He stuck his hand up and they high-fived. She grinned manically, cracking her knuckles, a swoosh of fire shooting out behind her as she did so.

"Hello, Commandments. Allow me to introduce myself~"